ZURICH Suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter, his federation mired in a corruption crisis, is being treated by doctors for stress and has been ordered to stay at home, his
former public relations officer said on Friday.

The 79-year-old Swiss, who was last month suspended for 90 days by the Ethics
Committee of soccer's world governing body, is under "tremendous pressure" and
has been ordered to stay at home, Klaus Stoehlker, a close confidant, told
Reuters by telephone.

"He is not in hospital, he was never in hospital, but he is under control of
the doctors," Stoehlker said.

FIFA, which is based in Zurich, has been in turmoil since 14 soccer officials
and sports marketing executives, including two FIFA vice-presidents, were
indicted by the United States in May.

Since then, Swiss authorities have opened their own investigation into FIFA's
activities, and the Ethics Committee has suspended both Blatter and Michel
Platini, the president of the European governing body UEFA who had been favorite
to replace him, for 90 days.

"He (Blatter) is under medical evaluation, the doctors took him out for a few
days, the doctors expect to him be back (in circulation) around Thursday or
Friday of next week," said Stoehlker.

"He is under tremendous pressure from so many sides and perhaps this is a
little bit difficult for a man who is not the youngest. So they took him out for
a few days. I saw him this morning and he will recover."

Blatter, who often impresses observers with his boundless energy, has been
FIFA president since 1998.

He won a fifth mandate in May but, as pressure mounted, performed an
about-turn four days later and called a new Congress, which will take place in
Zurich in February, to choose his successor.

In September, the Swiss attorney general's office initiated criminal
proceedings against Blatter over a 2 million Swiss franc ($2.1 million) payment
from FIFA to Platini in 2011 for work carried out by the Frenchman between 1998
and 2002.

Both men, who are suspended pending a full Ethics Committee investigation,
have denied any wrongdoing. Blatter has said he still hopes to take part in the
congress in February.